United States President Donald Trump admitted that he was very much open to the prospect of taking World Cup matches away from Boston, citing the politics of mayor Michelle Wu.
The U.S. are one of three co-hosts for the 2026 World Cup along with Mexico and Canada, although the vast majority of matches will be staged at one of 11 American venues. Concerns have already been raised regarding the scrutiny which visiting supporters may face from the U.S. immigration services and Trump has now sparked more controversy about the safety of certain cities.
The perennially outspoken Leader of the Free World warned that each venue will have to pass his personal inspections. “If I think it isn’t safe, we’ll move it to a different city,” he shrugged in September.
FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani insisted that world soccer’s governing body would be the one to “make those decisions” in a spiky retort earlier this month. Trump has not been deterred.
During a White House event with Javier Milei, president of reigning World Cup champions Argentina, Trump was pushed on the suitability of staging matches so near Boston.
Gillette Stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts which is short drive from Boston, will be the setting for seven World Cup games, including the first quarterfinal. The major U.S. city is one of several in the country which has reportedly seen street “takeovers,” where crowds cause a general sense of unrest in public spaces. One Boston police car was notably set alight earlier this month.
“We could take them away [from Boston],” Trump warned before turning his attention to Michelle Wu. “Their mayor is not good...she’s radical left, and they’re taking over parts of Boston. That’s a pretty big statement, right?”
Wu has taken a public stance against Trump’s immigration policies earlier this year. “Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law,” she declared outside Boston city hall back in August. “And Boston will not back down from who we are and what we stand for.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Their Mayor Is Not Good’—President Trump Names New City at Risk of World Cup Boycott.